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The Most Beautiful Face: Uncover the Mystery behind the Mask

Written by Yajuan Lu
Illustrated by Li Jian
Published by Shanghai Press

Mei finds an old album in Grandma’s house in Beijing. She discovers a charming character doing a back flip on a faded photo and surprisingly learns this is her late Grandpa. She wishes she could have spent more time with him. Grandma says Grandpa was one of the best performers of Peking Opera (jing ju).

It is hard for Mei to imagine him singing and doing back flips, so Grandma takes Mei to a show at the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater. The wonderful performance and Grandma’s explanations offer Mei a beautiful overview of Peking Opera, the classic Chinese performance art, as well as interesting stories of her Grandpa.

Mei returns to Washington D.C. after vacation.

She decides to introduce the “most beautiful face” to her friends. What is the most beautiful face? Why does Mei love it? Will her friends like it too?

Let’s follow the traditional Chinese paintbrush to enjoy an affectionate story about familial love, and learn about the traditional Chinese art enriched by more than a thousand years of culture and filled with great hopes for the future.

Primary ISBN: 9781632880161
Publication Date: April 2024
Available As: Hardcover
Picture Book, Age 05 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: China (Beijing), United States (Washington D.C.)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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